System and method for graphically managing communication sessions

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and non-transitory computer-readable storage media for managing a communication session via a graphical user interface (GUI). The method causes a communication device to present a set of connected graphical elements representing a structure of the communication session via the GUI, the communication session comprising at least two communicating users, receive user input associated with the set of connected graphical elements, the user input having an action associated with the communication session, and perform the action based on the received user input. The graphical elements can include images, text, caricatures, and avatars, and can change based on a contacted party context, persona, and presence. Active connections to the communication session can be visually represented as overlapping graphical elements, a line connecting graphical elements, a shape connecting graphical elements, a shape with radiating lines connecting graphical elements, and a common augmented appearance of graphical elements.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.61/164,753, filed 30 Mar. 2009, which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

This application is related to Attorney Docket Numbers 509022-US2(application no. ______), 509022-US3 (application no. ______),509022-US4 (application no. ______), 509022-US5 (application no.______), 509048-US (application no. ______), 509049-US (applicationno.), and 509098-US (application no. ______), filed on Mar. 29, 2010,each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to telecommunications and morespecifically to systems and methods for managing communication sessionsvia a graphical user interface (GUI). Communication sessions can existin a variety of modes such as telephone calls, instant messagingsessions, email sessions, video conference sessions, screen sharingsessions, multi-media sessions, and the like, as well as communicationdevices such as desktop phones, handheld devices, netbooks, and thelike.

2. Introduction

Touchtone telephones have been supplemented over the years by theaddition of feature buttons and menus. Interfaces for these featureshave evolved from simple buttons to hierarchical menus actuated bytrackballs, quadrant style pointers, and the like. As the number offeatures increases, the interfaces add more buttons, sequences, and/orcombination of button presses. This proliferation of features has led toa multitude of different interfaces with varying levels of complexity.Often users resort to rote memorization of key features, but that is notalways practical or desirable. Recently, smartphones withtouch-sensitive displays have begun to provide similar functionality.However, the touch-sensitive displays in such devices typicallyreproduce the feature buttons and menus, albeit on a touch-sensitivedisplay.

Further, users are migrating to other communication forms, such as textmessaging, instant messaging, email, chat sessions, video conferencing,and so forth. Incorporating the ability to handle these modes ofcommunication into a traditional telephone increases the complexity anddifficulty manyfold. What is needed in the art is a more intuitivecommunication management interface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features of the disclosure can be obtained, a moreparticular description of the principles briefly described above will berendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawingsdepict only exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the principlesherein are described and explained with additional specificity anddetail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example system embodiment;

FIG. 2A illustrates an initial view not having any communicationsessions;

FIG. 2B illustrates a view of an incoming communication session;

FIG. 2C illustrates an initial view after accepting the incomingcommunication session;

FIG. 2D illustrates a view of the communication session after adding athird party;

FIG. 3 illustrates a network view of a communication session;

FIG. 4 illustrates a second view of the communication session;

FIG. 5 illustrates a third view of the communication session with otherconcurrent communication sessions;

FIG. 6A illustrates an action to split a communication session;

FIG. 6B illustrates a result of the action to split the communicationsession; and

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of the disclosure are discussed in detail below.While specific implementations are discussed, it should be understoodthat this is done for illustration purposes only. A person skilled inthe relevant art will recognize that other components and configurationsmay be used without parting from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

The present disclosure addresses the need in the art for improvedcommunication session management. A system, method and non-transitorycomputer-readable media are disclosed which in each respectiveembodiment relate to graphical user interfaces for managing varioustypes of communication sessions quickly and efficiently. In the systemembodiment, the system displays to the user on a graphical userinterface a set of graphical connected elements representing a structureof a particular communication session or group of communicationsessions. A brief introductory description with reference to FIG. 2 willbe provided, followed by a discussion of a basic general purpose systemor computing device in FIG. 1 which can be employed to practice theconcepts disclosed herein. A more detailed description of methods andgraphical interfaces will then follow.

The graphical interface 200 of FIGS. 2A-2D illustrates the communicationsession with three users communicating in a communication session. Theinterface 200 receives user input, which can include multimodal userinput, to manage the communication session. For example, a user on acommunication session can perform a drag and drop input or otherwisemove and locate input to select a contact from a contacts list 218 andadd the new contact to the communication session. The system receivessuch input and automatically dials the phone number for that contact andadds them to the communication session. Users can be dropped from thecall by dragging a connected element representing the user to a trashbin 220 or other icon or location on the display representing deletingthem from the communication session. Users can include human andnon-human participants in the communication session.

The communication session is also agnostic with respect to the mode ofcommunication. The same metaphor of a connected user in a communicationsession being displayed on the graphical interface can represent acalled/calling user, an instant messaging (IM) user, an email user, auser connecting via video conferencing, web conferencing, and so forth.For example, from the context shown in FIG. 2A, the user can select acontact and then use the same type of user input (drag and drop,flicking, gestures, etc.) to initiate any of the communication modeswith that person. The user does not have to know or learn differentinput mechanisms for different communication modes.

The presentation of the graphical elements in connection withparticipants in a session, how they are connected and how the userinteracts with the elements all vary depending on the needs and currentactive context of the communication session. For example, elementsassociated with participants in a session can include text, titles,positions, or any other data about each user. The connection metaphorbetween users can also represent information such as the type ofconnection (phone, video, web conference, etc), the quality of theconnection (low-band, high-band, etc.), a hierarchy of how participantsare related to the primary user (friend, associate, acquaintance,un-trusted user, etc.), a status of the connection (active, inactive,on-hold, etc.), and so forth. These variations shall be discussed hereinas the various embodiments are set forth. The disclosure now turns toFIG. 1.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary system 100 includes ageneral-purpose computing device 100, including a processing unit (CPUor processor) 120 and a system bus 110 that couples various systemcomponents including the system memory 130 such as read only memory(ROM) 140 and random access memory (RAM) 150 to the processor 120. Thesystem 100 can include a cache 122 of high speed memory connecteddirectly with, in close proximity to, or integrated as part of theprocessor 120. The system 100 copies data from the memory 130 and/or thestorage device 160 to the cache 122 for quick access by the processor120. In this way, the cache 122 provides a performance boost that avoidsprocessor 120 delays while waiting for data. These and other modules canbe configured to control the processor 120 to perform various actions.Other system memory 130 may be available for use as well. The memory 130can include multiple different types of memory with differentperformance characteristics. It can be appreciated that the disclosuremay operate on a computing device 100 with more than one processor 120or on a group or cluster of computing devices networked together toprovide greater processing capability. The processor 120 can include anygeneral purpose processor and a hardware module or software module, suchas module 1 162, module 2 164, and module 3 166 stored in storage device160, configured to control the processor 120 as well as aspecial-purpose processor where software instructions are incorporatedinto the actual processor design. The processor 120 may essentially be acompletely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores orprocessors, a bus, memory controller, cache, etc. A multi-core processormay be symmetric or asymmetric.

The system bus 110 may be any of several types of bus structuresincluding a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. A basicinput/output (BIOS) stored in ROM 140 or the like, may provide the basicroutine that helps to transfer information between elements within thecomputing device 100, such as during start-up. The computing device 100further includes storage devices 160 such as a hard disk drive, amagnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, tape drive or the like. Thestorage device 160 can include software modules 162, 164, 166 forcontrolling the processor 120. Other hardware or software modules arecontemplated. The storage device 160 is connected to the system bus 110by a drive interface. The drives and the associated computer readablestorage media provide nonvolatile storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputing device 100. In one aspect, a hardware module that performs aparticular function includes the software component stored in anon-transitory computer-readable medium in connection with the necessaryhardware components, such as the processor 120, bus 110, display 170,and so forth, to carry out the function. The basic components are knownto those of skill in the art and appropriate variations are contemplateddepending on the type of device, such as whether the device 100 is asmall, handheld computing device, a desktop computer, or a computerserver.

Although the exemplary embodiment described herein employs the hard disk160, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that othertypes of computer readable media which can store data that areaccessible by a computer, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memorycards, digital versatile disks, cartridges, random access memories(RAMs) 150, read only memory (ROM) 140, a cable or wireless signalcontaining a bit stream and the like, may also be used in the exemplaryoperating environment. Non-transitory computer-readable storage mediaexpressly exclude media such as energy, carrier signals, electromagneticwaves, and signals per se.

To enable user interaction with the computing device 100, an inputdevice 190 represents any number of input mechanisms, such as amicrophone for speech, a touch-sensitive screen for gesture or graphicalinput, keyboard, mouse, motion input, speech and so forth. An outputdevice 170 can also be one or more of a number of output mechanismsknown to those of skill in the art. If the device includes a graphicaldisplay which also receives touch sensitive input, the input device 190and the output device 170 can be essentially the same element ordisplay. In some instances, multimodal systems enable a user to providemultiple types of input to communicate with the computing device 100.The communications interface 180 generally governs and manages the userinput and system output. There is no restriction on operating on anyparticular hardware arrangement and therefore the basic features heremay easily be substituted for improved hardware or firmware arrangementsas they are developed.

For clarity of explanation, the illustrative system embodiment ispresented as including individual functional blocks including functionalblocks labeled as a “processor” or processor 120. The functions theseblocks represent may be provided through the use of either shared ordedicated hardware, including, but not limited to, hardware capable ofexecuting software and hardware, such as a processor 120, that ispurpose-built to operate as an equivalent to software executing on ageneral purpose processor. For example the functions of one or moreprocessors presented in FIG. 1 may be provided by a single sharedprocessor or multiple processors. (Use of the term “processor” shouldnot be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executingsoftware.) Illustrative embodiments may include microprocessor and/ordigital signal processor (DSP) hardware, read-only memory (ROM) 140 forstoring software performing the operations discussed below, and randomaccess memory (RAM) 150 for storing results. Very large scaleintegration (VLSI) hardware embodiments, as well as custom VLSIcircuitry in combination with a general purpose DSP circuit, may also beprovided.

The logical operations of the various embodiments are implemented as:(1) a sequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or proceduresrunning on a programmable circuit within a general use computer, (2) asequence of computer implemented steps, operations, or proceduresrunning on a specific-use programmable circuit; and/or (3)interconnected machine modules or program engines within theprogrammable circuits. The system 100 shown in FIG. 1 can practice allor part of the recited methods, can be a part of the recited systems,and/or can operate according to instructions in the recitednon-transitory computer-readable storage media. Such logical operationscan be implemented as modules configured to control the processor 120 toperform particular functions according to the programming of the module.For example, FIG. 1 illustrates three modules Mod1 162, Mod2 164 andMod3 166 which are modules configured to control the processor 120.These modules may be stored on the storage device 160 and loaded intoRAM 150 or memory 130 at runtime or may be stored as would be known inthe art in other computer-readable memory locations.

Having briefly discussed the exemplary system embodiment, the disclosurenow turns to FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D and other graphical views of aninterface for managing communication sessions. A system 100, such as theone described in FIG. 1, can be configured to display a graphical userinterface 200, such as the one described in FIGS. 2A-2D, and receiveinput for manipulating and managing the communication session. In oneaspect, the system 100 interacts with a communications device, such as atelephone, instant messenger, personal or mobile computer, or emaildevice to manage the communication session. For example, a user may havea desktop telephone that is in communication with a computing devicewhich can interface with the telephone and present a display such asthat shown in FIGS. 2A-2D to manage communication sessions using thetelephone.

FIG. 2A illustrates a display 200 of an initial graphical view withoutany communication sessions. The display 200 can include a series oficons 208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 220, and a contacts list 218 forinitiating a communication session or interacting with an incomingcommunication session, for example. The series of FIGS. 2A-2D shallillustrate communication session management features such as setup andteardown of communication sessions, adding and removing participantsfrom sessions, and so forth from the initial state shown in FIG. 2A.

As shall be discussed, from the context of FIG. 2A, the user canidentify a person to contact, and then initiate any type ofcommunication using the same mode to initiate any other type ofcommunication. The system is agnostic in this respect. A drag and drop,gesture, tapping or any input mode described herein can be used toinitiate and establish a phone call, teleconference with a group ofindividuals, an IM or email session, and so forth. Various examples ofdifferent inputs will be described in connection with the utility icons208, 210, 212, 214, 216, 220 but any input mode can be applied to engageany utility.

FIG. 2B illustrates a view of an incoming communication session 201. Theincoming communication session 201 can be any type of session such as anincoming phone call, incoming instant message, incoming text message,incoming request for a web conference or, in this case, an incomingvideo conference. The incoming communication session 201 shows an icon206 representing the requester, Karl. The icon 206 can include sub-partssuch as a name/title 206 a and a communication modality icon 206 b,among others. The user can interact with the incoming communicationsession 201, for example, by clicking and dragging a modality icon ontothe incoming communication session 201 to accept the incoming videoconference request from Karl 206. In this example, the user clicks anddrags 250 the icon for the telephone modality 208. The user can select adifferent icon. The user can also provide other types of input tointeract with communication sessions, such as tapping an icon via atouch screen or stylus, a flicking gesture, mouse clicks/movements,speech input, keyboard input, swipes or taps on a touch-sensitivesurface, touchless gestures, and/or any other combination of suitableuser input. In the case of touch, for example, taps of differentduration or pressure can perform different actions. User input caninclude mouse movement, clicks, right clicks, double clicks, dragging,flicking, hovering, gestures, and so forth. The device can be shaken ortilted to receive accelerometer input, or positional/orientation inputthat indicates certain actions. Actions generally relate to connecting autility icon with one or more entities to perform functions such asignore, send a message, accept an incoming call, create a communicationsession, remove a person from a session, and so forth.

Although FIG. 2B illustrates an incoming communication session 201, theuser can initiate communication sessions in a number of other ways. Forexample, the user can drag a contact from a list of contacts 218 ontoone of the communication modality icons 208, 210, 212, 214, 216. Theuser can also scroll through the list of contacts 218 to locate andselect a contact 204 having an identifier 204 a or group of desiredcontacts, then double-click or tap on the selected group to initiate acommunication session. The identifier 204 a can also include a graphicor icon showing available modes of communication for that contact (IMonly), presence information (in their office but on a call) orscheduling information (such as the person is/is not available but hasan opening in 1 hour). Information in a graphical form can also includelocal time, a time in the time zone of the host of the communicationsession, and/or biological time. Biological time can be an aspect ofcontext. For example, a person who is acclimated to the Pacific timezone but who is currently located in the Eastern time zone may accepttelephone call communication sessions at 10:00 p.m. local time eventhough others in the Eastern time zone may not. This information canhelp the user know whether to seek a communication with that contact.Such information can also be presented in connection with any icon orgraphic representing an entity in a communication session. Other userinterface variations can be used in addition to or in place of theseexamples.

FIG. 2C illustrates a view after the user accepts the incomingcommunication session 201. In addition to the icon for Karl 206, theuser's own icon 202 (the example user being Frank Grimes) appears in thecommunication session 201 as an icon 202 connected to Karl 206. Frank'sicon 202 is optional and can include sub-parts such as a name/title 202a and a communication modality icon 202 b. In this case, because theuser responded to the incoming request with the telephone icon 208,Frank 202 communicates with Karl 206 in the communication session 201via telephone, indicated by the smaller telephone icon 202 b. Karl'sicon 206 includes a video icon 206 b which can represent videoconferencing capability. Assume Frank 202 then wishes to add Max Power204 from a list of contacts 218 to the communication session 201. Theuser 202 clicks and drags 252 Max Power's icon 204 directly from thelist of contacts 218 and drops it on the communication session 201. Thesystem 100 adds Max Power to the communication session as shown in FIG.2D.

The system 100 can provide an interface to the user such that the usercan use multiple different connection metaphors to establish ormanipulate communication sessions. For example, the system 100 candisplay participant icons on the screen, show interconnections betweenparticipants and allow the user to place mode icons on eachinterconnection to establish the session. The system 100 can allow theuser to position participant icons on the screen, select a mode and hita button such as “go” or “connect”. The system 100 can place participanticons on the screen, overlay communication mode icons on eachparticipant icon and allow the user to hit “go” or “connect”. Theseinterface options are exemplary. The actual interface can be implementedin any of a number of variations.

In one aspect, participants join the communication session 201 via atelephone call. However, the communication session 201 is neutral withrespect to various communication modalities and treats each the sameeven as users seek to join a call or other communication session.

In another aspect, the system 100 integrates the functions of one ormore communications device. In this case, the display 200 shown in FIG.2D may represent a computing device 100 (such as is generally shown inFIG. 1) that includes a microphone and speakers as well as a display.Such a device could act both as (1) a simple telephone to communicatevia a telephone call the user's voice to another caller or acommunication session and/or (2) a communication session managementsystem for displaying an image representing the various parties orentities involved in the session and receive instructions to add orremove individuals and other wise manage the variety of parameters thatare associated with a communication session 200.

The system 100 receives input via a physical or on-screen keyboard,mouse, stylus, touch screen, speech command, and/or single-touch ormulti-touch gestures. Before a communication session is established, thesystem 100 can show a home screen where the graphical elementsrepresenting communications utilities such as 208, 210, 212, 214, 216and 220 are shown. In one variation, the system 100 displays a summaryor welcome page showing a short summary of news, messages, contacts,upcoming calendar events, and/or configuration options. In yet anothervariation, the system 100 displays a default input mechanism, such as aten-key numeric pad for dialing telephone numbers.

The display 200 shows a communication session 201 of three connectedgraphical elements or entities 202, 204, 206. The set of graphicalelements can include images, caricatures, avatars, text, and/or ahyperlink to additional information related to a user associated withthe graphical elements. Any combination of graphical data can bepresented to provide information about individual users, a connectionmode, status, presence, other mode capabilities, and so forth. The textcan include a name, a title, a position, a bio, a telephone number,email address, a current status, presence information, and location. Thesystem can change or animate the graphical elements based on a contactedparty context, persona, presence, and/or other factors. For example, anelement may show an avatar or the person's face but show their eyesclosed. This can mean that the person is not actively on the call orpaying attention to the call. The avatar may show the person lookingaway or to the side or can show the person shaded or in some othergraphical representation that they are not actively on the call, or thatthey have muted the call, on a sidebar and so forth. Active connectionsto the communication session can be visually represented as a graphicalconnection metaphor having overlapping graphical elements, a lineconnecting graphical elements, a shape connecting graphical elements, ashape with radiating lines connecting graphical elements, and/or acommon augmented appearance of graphical elements. Overlapping orotherwise grouping graphical elements can represent individuals at onelocation. In such a case, information about the location can also beprovided. Further, changing color, thickness, animation, texture, and/orlength of graphical elements can indicate a relationship or status ofentities represented by the graphical elements.

The displayed communication session 201 in FIG. 2D represents areal-time communication of entities in a session. In this example, thereal-time communication is a three-way communication session 201 betweenFrank Grimes 202, Max Power 204, and Karl 206, shown by connecting linesbetween their respective icons 202, 204, 206. It is assumed in FIGS.2A-2D that Frank 202 is viewing this particular screen and is the hostor manager of the communication session 201. Thus, the display 200 isthe graphical display the system presents to him. Later figures willshow the same communication session from the points of view of the otherparticipants.

The call setup or communication session set up procedure shall bediscussed next. In order to establish a communication session 201, theuser can drag and drop a contact from a list of contacts 218 or fromsome other selection mechanism into the blank area or some designatedspot such as over a the element 202 representing Frank Grimes. Eachparticipant in the communication session 201 or contact in a list ofcontacts can have multiple associated addresses, phone numbers, orpoints of contact, such as a work phone, home phone, mobile phone, workemail, home email, AIM address, social networking address such as aFacebook chat address, and the like. Each participant may also have anicon 202 b, 204 b, 206 b or a qualifier that indicates not only theparty but the contact mode. At this stage, a telephone number to becalled or other communication address for alternate modes needs to beidentified. The system can present an interface or menu which enablesthe user to enter via a keypad of any type a phone number to dial or toselect a number for the user from a listing of numbers, or type in anemail address for example if the user only can be reached by email. Thesystem may only have one phone number for the selected contact andautomatically dial that number. The system may also automatically selectfrom available numbers based on any criteria such as previous history,presence information, etc. FIG. 2D illustrates the stage in the processin which the user Frank Grimes 202 has created a communication sessionwith both Max Power 204 and Karl 206 as shown and described in FIGS. 2A,2B, and 2C.

The communication session 201 is not limited to a telephone call. Theinterface 200 enables the management of any communication session mode.When the user initiates a call, instant message, text message,videoconference, or the like with another user, the system 100establishes a connection to the other party and displays a graphicalrepresentation of the communication session with the other party on thescreen. The user can then add additional parties to the communicationsession in a similar manner. The user can remove participants from acommunication session by dragging their element to a trash can icon 220,providing a flicking motion, clicking an X associated with thatparticipant, highlight a participant and shaking the device, if it ismobile with accelerometer capability or click a physical or graphicaldisconnect button. In one aspect where the communication session is viatelephone, the system 100 removes participants from the communicationsession when the user hangs up the telephone receiver. As participantsleave the communication session 201, the system 100 removes their iconfrom the graphical representation of the communication session. As canbe appreciated, adding and removing individual participants to and fromthe communication session occurs via the same drag and drop or otheruser input.

The graphical elements in FIGS. 2A-2D are icons, but can also includeimages, text, video, animations, sound, caricatures, and/or avatars.Users can personalize their own graphical elements or feed a live streamof images from a camera or video camera, for example. In addition, thegraphical elements can have an associated string of text 202 a, 204 a,206 a. The string of text can include a name, a title, a position, atelephone number, email address, a current status, presence information,location, and/or any other available information. The string of text canbe separate from but associated with the graphical element, as shown inFIGS. 2A-2D. Alternatively, the system 100 can overlay the string oftext on top of the graphical element or integrate the text as part ofthe graphical element. All or part of the text and/or the graphicalelements can be hyperlinks to additional information related to the userassociated with the text or graphical elements, such as a blog or microblog, email address, presence information, and so forth.

The system 100 can include for each icon 202, 204, 206 a respectivegraphical sub-element 202 b, 204 b, 206 b that indicates thecommunication mode for each participant. For example, Max Power 204 isparticipating via an instant messaging (IM) client 204 b; Frank Grimes202 is participating via telephone 202 b; Karl 206 is participating viaa video conference client 206 b. The system 100 is mode-neutral, meaningthat the system 100 treats each mode of communication the same, such astelephone, cellular phone, voice over IP (VoIP), instant messaging,e-mail, text messaging, and video conferencing. As a user changes fromone mode to another, the sub-elements can change accordingly. Forexample, if Frank Grimes 202 changes from a landline to a cellular phonemid-conference, the telephone icon 202 b can change to a mobile phoneicon.

Inasmuch as the system enables users to communicate in a session indifferent modes, the system can also modify the modes to align them inthe session. Instant messages can be converted to speech and spoken inthe teleconference from Max Power and speech can also be converted totext and transmitted to Max Power 204 for effective communication acrossmodes.

The graphical elements can also convey information about thecommunication session by changing type, size, color, border, brightness,position, and so forth. The lines, for example, can convey relationshipsbetween participants. A user can manually trigger the changes for his orher own icon or others' icons, or the system 100 can detect changeevents and change the graphical elements accordingly. Change events canbe based on a contacted party, context, persona, and/or presence. Forexample, as one person is talking, the system 100 can enlarge the iconrepresenting that person. As another example, the system 100 can trackhow much each person in the communication session is talking and movegraphical elements up and down based on a total talk time in thecommunication session.

In another variation, the system 100 modifies the links connecting thegraphical elements 202, 204, 206 by changing their thickness, length,color, style, and/or animating the links. These modifications canrepresent a currently talking party, shared resources, an activecommunication session status, a held communication session status, amuted communication session status, a pending communication sessionstatus, a connecting communication session status, a multi-party line, asidebar conversation, a monitored transfer, an unmonitored transfer,selective forwarding, selective breakup of the communication sessioninto multiple communication sessions, and so forth. In this manner, theuser can obtain knowledge about the status of the session, the types ofcommunications that are occurring, and other important details about thecommunication session.

In one aspect, a user provides input such as a gesture (such as drag anddrop, tap and drag with a touch screen or performs any other instructiveuser input) to manipulate and manage the communication session. Forexample, the user can click a call icon 208, a video conference icon210, an IM icon 212, an icon button 214, or a social media icon 216 toinvite another user to join the communication session. A user can dragthese icons and drop them on a contact or on a participant in a currentcommunication session. For example, if an incoming communication sessionis in one modality (IM 212 for example), the user can drag the call icon208 onto the incoming communication session to accept the incomingcommunication session but transcode it from IM to a call.

Some basic examples of how a user can interact with such icons areprovided below. The disclosure will step through example uses of eachutility icon 208, 210, 212, 214, 216 and 220. The first example willillustrate use of the calling icon 208. Assume the users Karl 206 andFrank 202 are shown as in FIG. 2C in a communication session but that itis via email and not a phone call. Frank 202 could desire to simply talkon the phone. In this case, Frank 202 could provide instructive inputsuch as double tapping on the call icon 208 which would instruct thesystem to recognize a communication session exists but that a new modeof communication is requested for that session. A telephone call is thenestablished between Frank 202 and Karl 206 and optionally graphicallyillustrated on the screen 200 with phone icons such as 202 b.

An example of the use of the video icon 210 is presented next in thecontext of the initial display shown in FIG. 2A. Frank 202 taps andholds with one finger on the video icon 210 and simultaneously taps onthe icon for Max Power 204 in the list of contacts 218. The system 100recognizes the two inputs and interprets them as a request to initiate avideo conference communication session with Max Power 204. The system100 can retrieve presence information for Max Power 204 to determine ifMax Power 204 can accept a video conference communication. Information204 a can indicate that Max has video conference capability and iscurrently available. If so, the system 100 establishes a communicationsession via video between Max 204 and Frank 202 and updates the display200 accordingly. If not, the system 100 can ask Frank 202 if he desiresto select another communication modality. Frank 202 can then tap on oneor more available utility icons.

An example use of the IM icon 212 is presented next in the context ofFIG. 2D. Frank 202 drags Karl 206, who is already a participant in anexisting communication session, onto the IM icon 212 to establish an IMsidebar with that participant. The system 100 creates an additionalcommunication session between Frank 202 and Karl 206 via IM that isseparate from but concurrent with the main communication session 201.The system 100 can optionally show a representation of the IM sidebarbetween Frank 202 and Karl 206 to Max Power 204.

In an example use of the email icon 214 also in the context of FIG. 2D,Frank 202 can swipe three fingers over the email icon 214 on a touchscreen to send a mass email to all or a portion of the participants incurrent communication sessions. The system 100 can identify allparticipants represented in the display 200 and retrieve available emailaddresses for those participants. If some participants do not have anavailable email address, the system 100 can intelligently select asuitable replacement, such as IM or SMS based on availability in generalor current presence information or a current mode. After or while thesystem 100 is gathering all the email address information, Frank 202 canenter a message in a popup window and click send. The system 100 thensends the message to the intended recipients.

The social networking icon 216 is discussed in the context of FIG. 2D.Frank 202 double taps on the social networking icon 216. In onevariation, the system 100 visually identifies which participants are notpart of Frank's social network. Frank 202 can then click or tap on thevisually identified participants to quickly add them to a social networksuch as LinkedIn or Facebook. In another variation, when Frank 202 tapsonce on a social networking icon 216 and once elsewhere, the system 100can post on a social network data related to the location of the secondtap, such as an audio clip, a document, a video file, a link, text, animage, or any other data. Social media include web sites such asFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, and so forth.

The user can interact with the trash icon 220 by flicking participanticons in the general direction of the trash icon 220, drawing an X overa participant icon or over an entire communication session, shaking thedevice if the device is mobile or via other instructive input. Thesystem 100 can terminate a communication session, delete a contact,remove a participant from a communication session, or take other actionsbased on the user interaction associated with the trash icon 220. Ofcourse the trash icon 220 can take any other graphical image whichreflects that a person or entity is leaving a communication session,such as door or a window. For example, a window or door can be on thedisplay screen and the host can remove an entity from a communicationsession by moving the respective icon to the window or door. As can beappreciated, user interaction with a utility icon and at least oneentity in a communication session can take many forms as discussedabove. Each example interaction can be applied to other utility icons ina similar manner.

A user can also initiate a communication session by dragging anddropping an appropriate icon onto a contact. Alternatively, the user canbrowse through a list of contacts 218, then drag and drop a desiredcontact to add the desired contact to the communication session. Thesystem 100 then automatically contacts that person in their desiredmode, a sender preferred mode, a currently available mode based onpresence information, or in a common available mode between theparticipants and joins that person to the communication session. Thesystem 100 can display other information as well, such as a calendar,notes, memos, personal presence information, and time. A user canmanually and seamlessly switch over from one modality to anothermid-session. For example, a user participating in a communicationsession via cell phone who is now near a webcam can drag a videoconferencing icon onto the communication session to switch from cellphone to video conferencing. The system 100 display can beuser-configurable.

While drag and drop is used primarily in these examples, any user inputcan be provided such as tapping, flicking with a gesture, etc. toindicate a linking of a selected utility icon 208, 210, 212, 214, 216with one or more participants (which may include people and non-personentities like a conference call or a calendar item).

In one aspect, user preferences guide the amount and type of informationconveyed by the graphical elements and the associated text. Userpreferences can be drawn from a viewer's preferences and/or a sourceperson's preferences. For example, a viewer sets preferences to showothers' email addresses when available, but a source person setspreferences as never share email address. The source person'spreferences (or preferences of the “owner” of the information) canoverride a third party's preferences.

Having discussed several variations of FIGS. 2A-2D, the discussion nowturns to a network view 300 of the communication session as shown inFIG. 3. A network 302 connects various communications devices 304, 306,308, 310, 312 and conveys information from device to device. Thetelecommunications network can be one of or a combination of a plain oldtelephone service (POTS) network, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM)network, the world wide web, an integrated services digital network(ISDN), frame relay network, Ethernet network, token ring network, andany other suitable wired or wireless network. The network can includeone or more interconnected nodes 314, 316, 318, 320 which perform all orpart of the connection and transmission functionality that underlies thegraphical representation of communication sessions on a GUI. Suchnetwork nodes 314, 316, 318, 320 can perform all the functionality inthe network 302 or can operate in conjunction with end-usercommunication devices 304, 306, 308, 312 to manipulate communicationsessions. Only the display component is shown for devices 304 and 306.

In one aspect, a centralized entity such as node 320 controls thecommunication session. The centralized entity 320 can reside in thenetwork and/or communicate via the network. The centralized entity 320can operate as a centralized enterprise intelligence server. In anotheraspect, the communication session control and functionality isdistributed among multiple server resources 314, 316, 318, 320 in thenetwork or cloud 302. In addition to a centralized intelligence anddistributed intelligence in the cloud, the network 302 can provide thisfunctionality using a peer-to-peer approach with intelligence on theendpoints 312, 308, 306, 304. Some variations include providingstandardized functionality on a standards-compliant server andnon-standardized functionality distributed across the endpoints. In somerespects, the “system”, “device”, “communication device” or othercharacterization of a hardware component that performs certain steps canbe interpreted as one or more of the various devices as endpoints ornetwork elements shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

Each communications device 306, 304, 312, 308 of FIG. 3 shows adifferent aspect or view of the same communication session. For example,the display of device 304 shows the same display of the sameparticipants 202, 204, 206 as shown in FIG. 2D. The display of device306 shows the same participants 202, 204, 206 in a different view of thecommunication session from the perspective of device 306. Likewisedevices 308 and 312 show the same participants 202, 204, 206 indifferent views which can each be tailored to the individualparticipants in the communication session. Device 304 can represent ahost or manager of the communication session but someone who is notshown as participating in the call.

In one aspect, a mobile device 308 connects with a base station 310 toconnect to the network. A mobile device 308 can generate its own view ofthe communication session or it can generate a duplicate or a companionview of another device's display.

In general, the management of the communication session involves a user,such as the user interfacing with device 304, providing input to thegraphical interface. The input as is noted herein involves an actionstep for manipulating or managing the communication session.Corresponding instructions are provided to the network node 320 ornetwork nodes which actively provide the communication links to thevarious participants. Thus, the network node or nodes will carry out theinstructions received from the managing device such that actions likecommunication session bridging, removing a person from the session,establishing a sidebar discussion, separating the communication sessioninto several smaller communication sessions, and so forth, areappropriately carried out.

FIG. 3 also can illustrate a view of a person or entity who seeks tocontact someone in a communication session. For example, assume Mary hasdevice 304 and wants to call Frank 202. If she does, if permissions aregranted, she can be presented with a visual of Frank's communicationsession showing 202, 204, 206. This can provide her varying levels ofdetail with respect to the type of communication, who is on the call,the subject matter of the call, etc. In this manner, Mary can bepresented with options since she now has this knowledge. Perhaps she maywant to IM or email instead of call. She may request to join theconference call. She me want to send a message to Frank 202 that shenoticed he was on a call and could he return her call in 1 hour.Presenting Mary with a graphical image of the communication sessionpresence of the person she is calling enables a more efficient mechanismfor her to determine how to best take the next step in communicatingwith Frank 202.

FIG. 4 illustrates a different view 400 of the same communicationsession shown in FIG. 2D, but from the perspective of Max Power 204. Inthis case, Max Power is the moderator, so Max's icon 204 appears at acentral location compared to the remaining participants' icons 202, 206.Each participant's icon has associated text 202 a, 204 a, 206 aindicating name and communication mode. The text 202 a, 204 a, 206 a canalso represent other data about each person or can include iconsindicating various types of data such as communication mode, presence,temporal information, calendar information, hierarchical information,employer information and so forth. The system 100 can arrange the iconsbased on an organizational hierarchy, role, location, seniority or othercombinations of parameters.

The interface 400 in FIG. 4 uses connecting lines and a central hub 402and spokes from the participants to the hub to indicate that the threeparticipants 202, 204, 206 are in the communication session. As thesystem 100 engages in additional communication sessions, the displayshows additional concurrent sessions in different locations. In somecases such as instant messaging, a single location contains multiplecommunication sessions of a same type. For example, multiple IMcommunication sessions can be displayed as a stack of cards at a singlelocation. Sessions can also be grouped at a single location according toother criteria such as sessions sharing same participants, sessions onthe same topic, or user specified. The hub 402 of FIG. 4 and the linesconnecting icons in FIG. 2D are also illustrative display configurationsfor active connections. Other configurations of icons, text, and/orgraphical elements can replace those shown herein.

The display 400 can include a title bar 404 and various controls such asa mute button 406, an exit button 408, a transcription button, and an“add participant” button 410. When a user clicks on the “addparticipant” button 410, the system 100 can present the user with adialog to select one or more participants to add. The title bar 404 caninclude information such as call duration, call moderator, and preferredcommunication mode. When a user clicks on the mute button 406, thesystem 100 can mute the user's line or other participants' lines. For aparticipant, clicking the exit button 408 causes that participant toleave the conference. The moderator could also highlight one or more ofthe participants with a click or gesture and then click on exit 408 toremove them from the conference. The conference moderator can alsoterminate the communication session for all participants by clicking theexit button 408.

When a user clicks on a transcription button (not shown), the system 100can engage a speech recognition module to recognize and transcribespeech. The system 100 can display transcriptions in real time, such asa ticker of text beneath a user's icon. The system 100 can also preparea full transcript of an entire communication session and email the fulltranscript to selected participants after the communication sessionends. The system 100 can transcode audio from a telephone call to textfor a text messaging session via automatic speech recognition (ASR) andcan convert in the other way via text-to-speech (TTS). Thus, Max 204 cancommunicate via IM with Frank 202 and Karl 206 in the same session butin different modes. These differences can be visually representing inthe session display.

Alternatively, the user can browse and select a participant from a listof contacts and drag desired participants directly into the graphicalrepresentation of the conference. A user can also add a party to thecommunication session, invite a party to the communication session, dropa party from the communication session, split a communication session,form a sidebar communication session, and merge two communicationsessions. A sidebar communication session is a concurrent sessionbetween two or more participants in a main communication session, butseparate from the main communication session. For example, if Max Power204 is proposing an idea, Frank Grimes 202 and Karl 206 can form asidebar to discuss the proposed idea without Max Power listening or evenknowing about the sidebar. In some cases knowledge of the sidebar'sexistence is available to other participants, but the other participantsdo not know what is being communicated in the sidebar.

Having discussed several variations of FIG. 4, the discussion now turnsto FIG. 5, which illustrates a third view 500 of a communication session502 between Max Power 204, Frank Grimes 202, and Karl 206, but from theperspective of Karl 206 and with another concurrent real-timecommunication session 512 and a current incoming call 514 for Karl 206.The active connections of the communication session 502 are shown hereconnected via a triangle 510. The system 100 as shown in FIG. 5 candisplay overlapping graphical elements, a line connecting graphicalelements, a shape connecting graphical elements, a shape with radiatinglines connecting graphical elements, and/or a common augmentedappearance of graphical elements. The system can group close together oroverlap icons corresponding to individuals at a same location. Thus, thevisual representation can vary for each “participant” in a communicationsession depending on the individual, location, grouping of people, andso forth. This visual image gives the participants and easyunderstanding of who is in the communication and the ability to easilymanage the session graphically.

The display in FIG. 5 shows three separate concurrent communicationsessions 502, 512, 514. The first communication session 502 is betweenMax 204, Frank 202 and Karl 206. Respective metadata is shown 202 a, 204a, 206 a. The second communication session 512 is a communicationsession in which Karl is a participant and which includes a group fromCalifornia 504, Paul 506, Rob 508, Layne 524, and a group from Florida522. Thus, Karl 206 is a simultaneous participant in two communicationsessions. The system 100 displays each communication session separately.In addition to these two communication sessions, the system 100 displaysan incoming communication 514 from John Mah. The incoming communicationicon 514 can blink, bounce, pulse, grow, shrink, vibrate, change color,send an audible alert (such as a ringtone), and/or provide some othernotification to the user of the incoming call. Karl 206 can interactwith and manipulate this incoming request in the same manner as theother current communication sessions. The system 100 does notdifferentiate between an active communication session and acommunication session representing an incoming call. For example, Karl206 can drag and drop the incoming call 514 on top of the communicationsession 512 to add the incoming call directly to the communicationsession 512 or 502. As another example, Karl 206 can drag and drop theincoming communication 514 to a trash can icon to ignore the call,double click on the incoming communication 514 to send the incomingcaller (if it is a call) to voicemail, or tap and hold to place thecaller on hold.

If Karl 206 accepts the incoming communication 514 from John Mah, thesystem 100 creates and displays a new communication session includingKarl 206 and John Mah (not shown in FIG. 5). The system 100 can placethe new communication session elsewhere on the display.

The system 100 can visually represent active connections as overlappinggraphical elements for individuals at one location. For example, in thesecond communication session 512, the participants from Florida areoverlapped as are the participants from California. The user canmanipulate these overlapping icons to identify or communicate withparticipants in a communications session.

The display can include a listing of contacts 520 and calendar events522. User interactions with the contacts can trigger an expanding viewor a popup window with more information. The user can then click on aparticular contact to see a list of available modes of communication forthat contact. The system 100 initiates an additional communicationsession with that contact based on a user selection of an available modeof communication. The system 100 connects and displays thatcommunication session along with the existing three 502, 512 and thenewly added session with John Mah (not shown).

Further, the system 100 can include a search capability. A user cansearch for contacts, calendar events, email addresses, phone numbers,and so forth. This approach can be advantageous for users with verylarge contact lists or for finding all members of a particulardepartment.

Often a contact will include several contacts for a particularcommunication modality. For example, one contact can include four phonenumbers, two text message numbers, three email addresses, and so on. Inthese cases the system 100 can intelligently select one of the availableaddresses or numbers for a selected modality, or the system 100 canpresent a disambiguation dialog so the user can select a desired addressor number.

In many instances, a user will not have a contact entry for all theother communication session participants. To add a communication sessionparticipant as a contact, the user can drag and drop the desired icon onthe contacts icon. The system 100 can automatically locate availableinformation about that participant to add to the contact database.

One possible user input is to divide the communication session shown inFIGS. 6A-2B. The user can draw a line with a mouse drag or a finger on atouch screen separating the communication session into two groups. Thesystem 100 can then divide the communication session into two separateconcurrent communication sessions based on the groups. In one aspect, acommunication session manager can divide a communication session for alimited time, after which the communication sessions are automaticallymerged together. For example, a manager can say “Team A, discuss prosand cons of strategy A. Team B, discuss pros and cons of strategy B.After five minutes, we'll return and report on our discussions.” Thenthe manager draws a line or otherwise selects groups for the breakoutsessions and sets a duration. A dialog or icons can appear when thecommunication session is separated which present the available optionsfor managing the separation. The system 100 divides the communicationsession and rejoins them after the set duration. The manager canindicate additional settings, such as prohibiting sidebar conversationsbetween the groups during the breakout sessions. The manager can beindependent of the breakout sessions and monitor each breakout sessionvia audio, summary, and/or real-time text.

FIG. 6A illustrates the action to split a communication session 600.This communication session involves five participants 602, 604, 606,608, 610 in a session identified by each participant being connected byhub 616. A user provides input such as drawing a line with his or herfinger on a touch screen to divide the communication session into twoparts. The system 100 interprets that input and performs an action basedon that input. For example, after the input shown in FIG. 6A, the system100 (or a node or nodes in the network) splits the communication sessioninto a first communication session 612 of participants 602, 604, 610 anda second communication session 614 of participants 606, 608 as shown inFIG. 6B.

FIG. 6B illustrates the hub 616 a maintaining the session with connectedparticipants 602, 604 and 610. A new hub 616 b connects participants 608and 606 in a separate communication session. The session manager couldrecombine these sessions in a number of ways including by dragging anddropping the hub 616 b onto the hub 616 a.

The disclosure now turns to the exemplary method embodiment shown inFIG. 7. For the sake of clarity, the method is discussed in terms of anexemplary system such as is shown in FIG. 1 configured to practice themethod. FIGS. 2, 4, and 5 illustrate example graphical interfaces forthe method disclosed in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method embodiment for managing acommunication session via a graphical user interface (GUI). The system100 presents a set of connected graphical elements representing astructure of the communication session via the GUI, the communicationsession having at least two communicating users (702). The communicationsession can be a telephone call, other communication session in anothermode, a communication session. The number of users or participants canbe two or more. The communication session can be mode-neutral so thatusers in the session can communicate using any of a number ofcommunication modes such as telephone, cellular phone, voice over IP(VoIP), video conference, text message, instant messaging, web-basedchat, email, social networking communications, and so forth. The GUIallows users to manipulate the communication session quickly andintuitively.

For example, using the graphical interface, setting up a communicationsession can involve the user providing an instructive input which causesthe system to move individuals from a contacts list into a particularportion of the interface. The system interprets that user input as adesire to contact the person dropped in. The system then dials thatperson and once they answer the call, a graphical element shows thatthere is a connection between the user and the called person. Otherpeople can be added or dropped from the call by dragging and droppingicons or graphical elements to and from the communication session. Userscan change their own mode of communication by tapping on a differentconnection modality icon.

The user could drag and drop in an additional person who the user wantsto IM, although the other people in the communication session arecommunicating via phones. The system then will automatically present atext field for the user to input the IM text and then once the systemreceives an “enter” or another indicator that the message is complete,the system transmits the IM message to the selected user.

Devices having different capabilities can present a suitable GUItailored to those capabilities. For example, a desk phone may have amore powerful processor and graphics abilities, larger screen, morememory, higher bandwidth, and so forth than a smaller mobile device.Such a desk phone can display the GUI with full interaction andanimation, whereas the mobile communication device may only provide asubset of that full functionality suited to its own capabilities. A deskphone can be in operative communication with a computer such that thegraphical interface for communication sessions is presented on thecomputer screen but implemented via the desktop phone.

The disclosure returns to the method of FIG. 7. The system 100 receivesuser input associated with the set of connected graphical elements, theuser input having an action associated with the communication session(704). The user input can be received via a physical or on-screenkeyboard, mouse, stylus, touch screen, speech command, single-touchand/or multi-touch gesture. Any single or multimodal input can bereceived from the user to manage or implement a particular function. Theinput can be directed to a single graphical element or to otheruser-interface components on a display.

The system 100 performs the action based on the received user input(706). For example, if a user draws a line with his or her finger on atouch screen between a first group of participants in a communicationsession and a second group of participants in a communication session,the system can separate the first group into its own communicationsession and the second group into its own communication session. Thesystem or a network communication node or nodes will manage bridging andconnecting the identified groups such that the separate communicationsessions are established. The appropriate action can also be processedin a peer-to-peer fashion between end devices in the network.

As another example, if a user drags a contact into a communicationsession, the system 100 can add that contact to the communicationsession. Other actions include adding a party to the communicationsession, inviting a party to the communication session, dropping a partyfrom the communication session, splitting a communication session,forming a sidebar communication session which is a concurrentcommunication session that is separate from but includes participants ina main communication session, and merging the communication session witha second communication session. In each case, the network noderesponsible for the communication session will manage the modificationand reorientation of the communication session based on the receiveduser input.

Embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure may also includetangible and/or non-transitory computer-readable storage media forcarrying or having computer-executable instructions or data structuresstored thereon. Such non-transitory computer-readable storage media canbe any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose orspecial purpose computer, including the functional design of any specialpurpose processor as discussed above. By way of example, and notlimitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM,ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storageor other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be usedto carry or store desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions, data structures, or processor chipdesign. When information is transferred or provided over a network oranother communications connection (either hardwired, wireless, orcombination thereof) to a computer, the computer properly views theconnection as a computer-readable medium. Thus, any such connection isproperly termed a computer-readable medium. Combinations of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of the computer-readable media.

Computer-executable instructions include, for example, instructions anddata which cause a general purpose computer, special purpose computer,or special purpose processing device to perform a certain function orgroup of functions. Computer-executable instructions also includeprogram modules that are executed by computers in stand-alone or networkenvironments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs,components, data structures, objects, and the functions inherent in thedesign of special-purpose processors, etc. that perform particular tasksor implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executableinstructions, associated data structures, and program modules representexamples of the program code means for executing steps of the methodsdisclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executableinstructions or associated data structures represents examples ofcorresponding acts for implementing the functions described in suchsteps.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that other embodiments of thedisclosure may be practiced in network computing environments with manytypes of computer system configurations, including personal computers,hand-held devices, multi-processor systems, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframecomputers, and the like. Embodiments may also be practiced indistributed computing environments where tasks are performed by localand remote processing devices that are linked (either by hardwiredlinks, wireless links, or by a combination thereof) through acommunications network. In a distributed computing environment, programmodules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

The various embodiments described above are provided by way ofillustration only and should not be construed to limit the scope of thedisclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize variousmodifications and changes that may be made to the principles describedherein without following the example embodiments and applicationsillustrated and described herein, and without departing from the spiritand scope of the disclosure.

1. A computer-implemented method of managing a communication session viaa graphical user interface (GUI), the method causing a communicationdevice to perform steps comprising: presenting a set of connectedgraphical elements representing a structure of a communication sessionvia the GUI, the communication session comprising at least twocommunicating users; receiving user input associated with the set ofconnected graphical elements, the user input having an action associatedwith the communication session; and performing the action based on thereceived user input.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the graphical elements comprise one or more of images, text,caricatures, and avatars.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the graphical elements change based on at least one of acontacted party context, persona, presence, and connectivity status. 4.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the graphicalelements comprise text of related information comprising one or more ofa name, a title, a position, a bio, a telephone number, email address,local time, biological time, presence information, and location.
 5. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein at least one of thegraphical elements includes at least a hyperlink to related information.6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the additionalrelated information relates to the user associated with the at least oneof the graphical elements.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, wherein within the set of connected graphical elements, activeconnections to the communication session are visually represented as agraphical connection metaphor including one or more of overlappinggraphical elements, a line connecting graphical elements, a shapeconnecting graphical elements, a shape with radiating lines connectinggraphical elements, and a common augmented appearance of graphicalelements.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein activeconnections are visually represented as overlapping graphical elements,the overlapping graphical elements representing individuals at onelocation.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein thegraphical connection metaphor indicates a communication sessionrelationship between connected graphical elements by changing one ormore color, thickness, animation, texture, and length.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the communicationsession relationship includes one or more of an active, a held, apending, a sidebar, a monitored transfer, an unmonitored transfer,selective forwarding, and selective breakup of the communication sessioninto multiple communication sessions.
 11. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 7, wherein graphical elements corresponding toindividuals at a same location are one of (1) grouped close together,(2) overlapped, and (3) connected by a shape.
 12. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein a communication sessionmoderator graphical element is placed in a central location in relationto other graphical elements.
 13. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 7, wherein graphical elements are arranged based on at least oneof an organizational hierarchy, role, location, and seniority.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the communicationsession includes one or more communication modalities.
 15. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the communicationmodalities include telephone, cellular phone, voice over IP (VoIP),instant messaging, e-mail, text messaging, web conferencing, screensharing, file sharing, and video conferencing.
 16. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action is one ormore of adding a party to the communication session, inviting a party tothe communication session, dropping a party from the communicationsession, splitting a communication session, initiating the communicationsession, ending the communication session, transferring a party to adifferent mode of communication, and forming a sidebar communicationsession.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein theaction is one or more of merging the communication session with a secondcommunication session and moving one or more parties of thecommunication session to a second communication session.
 18. A systemfor managing a communication session via a graphical user interface(GUI), the system comprising: a processor; a module controlling theprocessor to present a set of connected graphical elements representinga structure of the communication session via the GUI, the communicationsession comprising at least two communicating users; a modulecontrolling the processor to receive user input associated with the setof connected graphical elements, the user input having an actionassociated with the communication session; and a module controlling theprocessor to perform the action based on the received user input. 19.The system of claim 18, wherein within the set of connected graphicalelements, active connections to the communication session are visuallyrepresented as a graphical connection metaphor including one or more ofoverlapping graphical elements, a line connecting graphical elements, ashape connecting graphical elements, a shape with radiating linesconnecting graphical elements, and a common augmented appearance ofgraphical elements.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storagemedium storing instructions which, when executed by a computing device,cause the computing device to manage a communication session via agraphical user interface (GUI), the instructions comprising: presentinga set of connected graphical elements representing a structure of thecommunication session via the GUI, the communication session comprisingat least two communicating users; receiving user input associated withthe set of connected graphical elements, the user input having an actionassociated with the communication session; and performing the actionbased on the received user input.
 21. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, wherein if the action is removing a participant from thecommunication session, the method further causing the communicationdevice to perform steps comprising: dropping the participant from thecommunications session; and updating the set of connected graphicalelements to remove graphical elements associated with the droppedparticipant.
 22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, the methodfurther causing the communications device to terminate the communicationsession if only one user remains in the communication session.
 23. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein if the action is addinga new participant to the communication session, the method furthercausing the communication device to perform steps comprising: bridgingthe new participant into the communication session; and updating the setof connected graphical elements to include a new graphical element forthe new participant.
 24. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the communication session is created in response to a drag anddrop action in the GUI of a first icon associated with a first user to asecond icon associated with a second user.